Buddhism is a unique religion. The teacher of Buddhism is Siddahartha Gautama Buddha. Siddahartha was the son of the king of Nepal. Buddhas father was warned that his son was going to become a monarch and that he would be murdered. So, Siddahartas father imprisoned him within the palace so that he would never see anyone suffer or grow old. When Siddaharta grew older, he wanted to know what it was like on the other side of the palace walls; just like we all think the grass is greener on the other side. When Siddaharta escaped, he saw people suffering, people that were dying, and people that were sick. He couldnt understand why this could happen, how could people suffer like this in a kingdom that was run by his father, who was such a loving and giving man? Upon this discovery, Siddaharta escaped from the palace and became a wanderer. In his wanderings, Buddha came to have many followers that wrote down his teachings. Buddha was not considered, and is still not considered, a God by the followers of his teachings. Buddha is merely a teacher, he taught his followers how to reach nirvana; which is a state of complete peace and love. According to Mahayana Buddhism, Buddha is a manifestation of the absolute reality and salvation. The Buddhas followers wrote down his teachings in the scriptures of Buddhism which are called the Three Vascas and the Tripitaka; there are a few others, but these are the main ones. Buddha taught his followers how to attain nirvana. The method used in this process is called The Four Noble Truths. These explain what our main problem in life is, and how to get past it and attain nirvana. The first Noble Truth states our problem in life. Our problem is that of suffering. Everything we do, causes suffering for us. Being born is suffering, living is suffering, love is suffering, and setting goals for ourselves is suffering. This is believed because we are disappointed when we dont achieve the goals w...
